March 27, 2006

Why Not Just Take Their Tired, Their Poor, Their Huddled Masses, Yearning to Breathe Free?

from - smijer

It's the immigration legislation that is in the news now. Normally, I would ignore it simply because I've never developed much of an opinion on it. Part of the reason for that is that it's a tough issue to get into. So, let me just ask a stupid question. Why not negotiate with our neighbors a "free market" for immigration? Put another way, why not allow and document immigration for anyone who wants it? Here is a brief list of the "pluses" for such a scheme, as envisioned in my imagination:

Opens an option to would-be immigrants to avoid such unpleasantries as dying in the desert or on the back of a truck.

Avoids the perpetuation of an American underclass who lack wage and labor protections, opportunities for education, etc. Also, reduces crime rate which results from said underclass.

Border patrols and immigration services could police for a relative few "hard-core" cases - workers who have some motivation to come in undocumented and give up minimum wage and other labor protections. They could then screen more extensively among undocumented entrants for potential terrorists.

Once job market is saturated, motivation to immigrate to U.S. should decline, and emigration to other markets - particularly those with healthy economies - should increase. Problems associated with illegal immigration should decline in turn. At the same time, a "free market" for international labor would help keep American labor pool strong.

Fewer moral issues with deporting undocumented workers. Those not deemed security threats could, in fact, be offered a chance to document under a probationary scheme.

$$ in tax revenue, currently lost, would be recovered.

What am I missing? What down-sides to such a scheme make it, apparently, unthinkable under U.S. policy?
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Posted by smijer at March 27, 2006 07:57 AM

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